Chicago,Paralyzed firefighter claimed motorcycle defect caused crash

OFF THE WIRE
Lawyers for a Chicago firefighter who was paralyzed in a motorcycle wreck said Thursday that they settled their lawsuit with Harley-Davidson Inc. after a Daley Center jury was deadlocked.

Jim McMahon, 53, alleged that a defect caused the motorcycle to wobble and crash on an Arizona highway in 2004. The company blamed driver error.

McMahon, of Chicago's Mount Greenwood neighborhood, is paralyzed from the chest down and requires a wheelchair and around-the-clock care.